Leyland Motors is a British car maker. Leyland has a long history dating from 1896, when the Sumner and Spurrier families founded the Lancashire Steam Motor Company in the town of Leyland in North West England. The company's original product - a 1.5-ton-capacity steam van - was the start of what was to become an unbeaten heritage of engineering and production excellence that relates directly to the Leyland Trucks of today.
It was briefly part of British Leyland, the UK's nationalised motor company.
Leyland Trucks operates today from the Leyland Assembly Plant in North West England. The company, employing 1,000 people, manufactures 14,000 trucks per year of which approximately 35% are exported to European Community Markets.
Historically, Leyland Motors was a major manufacturor of buses used throughout the United Kingdom and world-wide, being probably most famous for the trend-setting Atlantean rear-engined double decker design produced between 1958 and the 1980s. However Leyland Bus was later sold to its management and subsequently absorbed by Volvo Buses, which discontinued its product range.
Leyland Australia
Leyland Motors had also an Australian subsidiary, Leyland Australia. This produced the Morris Marina, badged as a Leyland Marina, and the large P76 car, a uniquely Australian design, as well as the Mini.
